Greater China

In ethnogeography, Greater China is a loosely defined region sharing cultural and economic ties with the Chinese people, often used by international enterprises or organisations in unofficial usage. The notion contains a "great deal of ambiguity in its geographical coverage and politico-economic implications", because some use it to refer to "the commercial ties among ethnic Chinese, whereas others are more interested in cultural interactions, and still others in the prospects for political reunification". The term encompass "linkages among regional Chinese communities", but usually refers to an area encompassing the People's Republic of China (mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau) and the Republic of China (Taiwan), places where the majority population is culturally Chinese. The term's usage is contested; some observers in Taiwan characterise the term as harmful or a conflation of distinct polities and markets, while the Chinese government has avoided it, either to allay fears of its economic expansionism or to avoid suggesting Taiwan (known as the Republic of China) and the People's Republic of China are on equal footing. Several articles in The China Quarterly see the Greater China concept as a way to summarise "the linkages among the fair-flung international Chinese community", thereby incorporating Singapore and overseas Chinese communities in their usage of the term, whereas Chinese-Australian sinologist Wang Gungwu has characterised the concept as a "myth", and "wrong" if applied to overseas Chinese communities.